– Goyang, Daejeon, Jeongseon, Suwon, and Seoul emerge as the most popular bakery tourism destinations in South Korea, driven by growing search interest

SEOUL, South Korea, Aug. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Driven by South Korea’s vibrant cafe culture and the growing popularity of bakery-themed events, “bread pilgrimages” have emerged as one of the latest travel trends. Today, South Koreans are willing to travel in search of the perfect loaf, visiting renowned bakeries and bread festivals across the country. The phenomenon gained even greater momentum after actor Beomjun Seo embarked on a bread pilgrimage in the entertainment show “I Live Alone,” inspiring viewers to explore famous bakeries. Reflecting this growing appetite for bakery tourism, digital travel platform Agoda has revealed the top domestic “bread pilgrimage” destinations for travelers to explore in the second half of the year.

Based on accommodation searches made by South Korean travelers between 1 January and 15 June this year, Goyang recorded the largest increase in travel interest among destinations hosting upcoming bakery-related events. Daejeon, Jeongseon, Suwon, and Seoul followed, rounding out the top five destinations for bakery tourism.

Goyang topped the list with a 22% increase in accommodation searches, likely driven by the “2026 Cafe & Bakery Fair Season 2” taking place from 29 October – 1 November this year. The event showcases not only coffee, desserts, and bakery products, but also coffee equipment, packaging solutions, related services, and the latest industry trends. Season 1, held from 4–7 June, attracted more than 200 participating brands and an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 visitors.

Ranking second, Daejeon recorded an 18% increase in accommodation searches. Long regarded as one of South Korea’s iconic “bread pilgrimage” destinations thanks to the legendary bakery Sungsimdang, the city has continued to strengthen its reputation through unique local experiences such as the “Bread Taxi,” where taxi driver Seongwoo Ahn offers visitors exclusive tours of the city’s best bakeries. Interest is also expected to be fueled by two major upcoming events, “Bbangbbangrun 2026 in Daejeon,” taking place on 9–10 October, and the “2026 Daejeon Bread Festival,” scheduled for 17–18 October.

Jeongseon ranked third with a 17% increase in accommodation searches, likely driven by the “Bread Trail Run 2026” taking place from 12–13 September. First launched last year, the event combines running with a unique bakery experience, featuring refreshment checkpoints where participants can enjoy treats, including bread, beverages, snacks, ice cream, and chocolate. Beyond the race itself, participants can enjoy a variety of activities, including a running clinic led by a national team athlete, warm-up sessions, and photo zones.

Suwon placed fourth, with accommodation searches rising 15%. The increase is likely driven by the “Korea Coffee & Dessert Festival Season 2,” scheduled for 11–13 December. As Suwon’s only exhibition dedicated exclusively to coffee and desserts, the festival brings together coffee lovers, home baristas, and bakery enthusiasts to discover the latest dessert trends.

Rounding out the top five, Seoul recorded an 11% increase in accommodation searches, likely driven by the “2026 Cafe & Bakery Fair Season 2” taking place from 27–30 August. The capital also hosted Season 1 earlier this year from 25–28 February, reinforcing its position as one of the country’s leading destinations for bakery enthusiasts and cafe culture.

Alex Park, Country Director, South Korea at Agoda shared, “Food has always been an important part of the travel experience, and we’re seeing more opportunities for travelers who want to plan trips around finding the best bakeries, with bread evolving from a simple dessert into a destination and experience in itself. From iconic bakeries to bread festivals, Agoda is delighted to help travelers discover local culture through food while making it easy to find great-value accommodation for every journey.”

With over 130,000 flight routes, more than 6 million holiday properties, and over 300,000 activities, Agoda ensures bread enthusiasts can seamlessly combine their bookings in one convenient platform throughout their journey. Discover the best deals on Agoda’s mobile app and visit Agoda.com to plan the perfect summer getaway.

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SOURCE Agoda

LONDON, Aug. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Travelzoo® (NASDAQ: TZOO), the club for travel enthusiasts, announces four of many new Club Offers for Club Members in the UK.

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£115—2 NIGHTS IN COTSWOLDS ‘HIDDEN TREASURE’
Tucked away in the village of Blockley, The Crown Hotel is an archetypal Cotswold escape. It’s home to honey-coloured stone, wooden beams, and traditional fireplaces. And surrounded by the historic market towns Chipping Campden and Stow-on-the-Wold. Two nights’ stay with breakfast is £115, saving us 66% on the usual price.£189PP—DELUXE 16TH-CENTURY PRAGUE BREAK WITH FLIGHTS
This deal includes flights departing from a choice of five UK airports. Stay three nights at the Lindner Hotel Prague Castle, which sits in the grounds of an old monastery. Accommodation is in a King Bedroom, with breakfast each morning.£849PP—ALL-INC RIVER CRUISE AT CHRISTMASTIME
Sail through Germany’s castle-crowned Rhine Valley for four nights on MS Oscar Wilde. The ship carries just 169 passengers. Depart on 20 December and take in the Rhine Gorge en route to Rüdesheim, Bonn, and Cologne. This deal includes a choice of return flights or Eurostar tickets. We save £450 on the regular price.£369PP—ART DECO ISLAND HOTEL: 2-NIGHT STAY WITH BLACK-TIE DINNER
Burgh Island Hotel is an Art Deco retreat once favoured by 1930s icons including Noel Coward, Lord Mountbatten and Agatha Christie. Her novels And Then There Were None and Evil Under the Sun were inspired by the island. This 2-night stay includes a Luxe Double room with breakfast, plus a 3-course dinner in The Grand Ballroom.

Offers have limited inventory and are subject to availability.

Are you a travel enthusiast? Join the club today: https://travelzoo.com

Who are we?
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cjordan@travelzoo.com 

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SOURCE Travelzoo

Firebird launches one of the world’s fastest-deployed NVIDIA DSX AI factories, accelerating its global expansion across emerging markets.NVIDIA’s investment will accelerate Firebird’s expansion of AI infrastructure across emerging markets.Firebird’s three-phase expansion in Armenia plans to deploy NVIDIA Vera Rubin and Blackwell platforms with more than 70,000 NVIDIA GPUs.Firebird’s global AI infrastructure pipeline is expected to reach 2 gigawatts by year end 2028 across Armenia, Kazakhstan, and additional frontier markets.

HRAZDAN, Aremenia, Aug. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Firebird today officially launched the largest NVIDIA DSX AI factory in the region, marking the operational debut of its global AI infrastructure platform and establishing Armenia as a new strategic hub for artificial intelligence computing.

The official inauguration marked a defining milestone for both Firebird and the future of AI infrastructure in the region. The event featured remarks from Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, NVIDIA Founder and CEO Jensen Huang, NVIDIA Vice President of Physical AI Simulation Rev Lebaredian, Chargé d’Affaires ad interim, U.S. Embassy in Armenia David Allen, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhaslan Madiyev, alongside senior government officials, international ambassadors, global technology executives, academic leaders, investors, and strategic industry partners. The participation of such distinguished leaders underscored the international significance of the project and reinforced the growing recognition of AI infrastructure as one of the defining strategic assets of the global economy.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan commented: “Exactly one year after signing the U.S. – Armenia Memorandum of Understanding on AI and technology cooperation with President Donald Trump, we are now seeing this major achievement.”

Firebird also announced that NVIDIA intends to invest in the company, following an earlier investment by CoreWeave this year. These investments will help Firebird expand its global infrastructure and operational footprint, and support its efforts to establish the largest and most advanced compute clusters across frontier markets.

Building on this foundation, the Firebird Armenian AI factory announced a roadmap to scale beyond 70,000 NVIDIA Rubin and Blackwell GPUs by the end of 2027, expanding the platform to 300 megawatts of AI infrastructure capacity and positioning the project among Europe’s largest AI infrastructure platforms and one of the world’s most significant AI computing hubs. Built using the NVIDIA DSX AI Factory reference design and interconnected with NVIDIA Spectrum-X Ethernet networking, Firebird’s AI factory is designed to improve the economics of AI infrastructure – supporting up to 40% more GPUs within the same footprint, and maximizing the value of each megawatt.

Firebird’s expansion strategy already extends beyond Armenia. Kazakhstan has become the company’s second market, where Firebird has secured 125 megawatts of AI infrastructure capacity at Data Center Valley, supported by the necessary approvals from the Government of Kazakhstan and export authorization from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS). Together with several additional frontier markets currently under development, Firebird is targeting two gigawatts of AI infrastructure capacity by the end of 2028, establishing itself as one of the world’s fastest-growing AI infrastructure networks.

“As AI becomes foundational infrastructure for every modern economy, countries need trusted partners who can deliver secure, scalable AI platforms fast, ” said Razmig Hovaghimian, Co-Founder and CEO of Firebird. “Firebird combines proven execution, deep partnerships with NVIDIA and leading infrastructure providers, U.S. regulatory expertise, and a growing international pipeline. Within two years, we expect our global AI infrastructure platform to reach about 2 GWs of capacity, enabling frontier markets to participate directly in the global AI economy.”

“Just over six months ago, this was an empty construction site. Today, it is the region’s largest operational AI factory and the foundation of one of Europe’s most ambitious AI infrastructure programs,” said Alexander Yesayan, Co-Founder of Firebird. Going from breaking ground to operational readiness in such a short timeframe demonstrates Firebird’s ability to deliver world-class AI infrastructure at unprecedented speed. With a roadmap to scale beyond 70,000 NVIDIA Rubin and Blackwell GPUs, Armenia is rapidly emerging as one of Europe’s most important AI computing destinations and a strategic hub for the global AI economy.”

“AI factories are the infrastructure nations need to create intelligence, drive economic growth and compete in the age of AI,” said Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA.

“Together with Firebird, we are building AI infrastructure across Armenia and Kazakhstan that will give researchers, startups and industries the computing foundation to develop AI at home, attract innovators from around the world and participate in the global AI economy.”

With the launch of its first AI factory, Firebird moves from vision to execution, establishing the foundation of a global AI infrastructure platform spanning multiple countries and continents. As demand for sovereign AI infrastructure accelerates worldwide, the company is positioned to help countries and enterprises build the computing capacity that will power the next generation of innovation.

“The future of AI will be shaped by organizations and countries that can turn vision into capability,” said Michael Dell, chairman and CEO of Dell Technologies. “Firebird is demonstrating what’s possible by creating an AI factory in Armenia that expands the infrastructure needed to develop and deploy AI locally. Built on Dell Technologies infrastructure, this AI factory delivers the foundation for sovereign AI adoption and creates new opportunities for innovation, research and economic growth across the region.”

Firebird also announced Perplexity as one of its first customers. Perplexity will access Firebird’s high-performance AI infrastructure to support its answer engine and AI-powered digital coworker platform. This collaboration represents an important step in attracting leading AI-native companies to Armenia and strengthening the country’s growing technology and startup ecosystem.

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SOURCE Firebird